SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - South Korean manufacturers of power infrastructure equipment are accelerating their push into European markets, seizing on surging demand for data center power systems and aging grid replacement across the continent.
The expansion comes amid growing European concerns over energy security and infrastructure resilience. A series of recent power disruptions — including major blackouts in Spain and Portugal in April — coupled with intensifying summer heat waves have underscored vulnerabilities in Europe’s aging electrical networks.
On June 29, HD Hyundai Electric signed a supply agreement with Bulk Infrastructure, a Norwegian data and telecommunications company.
The agreement grants Hyundai Electric preferred bidding rights on high-voltage transformers and circuit breakers for Bulk’s future data center projects. The deal builds on an earlier contract signed in June 2024 to deliver two 400-kilovolt ultra-high voltage transformers for a Norwegian data center project scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026, Hyundai Electric officials said Thursday.
Hyundai Electric has also ramped up its role in Europe’s broader grid modernization efforts, which are being driven by the continent’s accelerating transition to renewable energy.
In May, the company won a contract to supply four 400kV transformers to SP Energy Networks in Scotland, followed by a 40 billion won (approximately $29 million) deal in June to provide equipment to Denmark’s state-owned utility, Energinet. Both contracts support infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate rising solar and wind power generation.
Hyosung Heavy Industries, another major South Korean player, is also expanding its European footprint.
In May, the company signed an 85 billion won contract with Scottish Power to supply ultra-high voltage transformers designed to transmit electricity from wind farms in rural Scotland to population centers.
Hyosung became the first South Korean firm to supply transformers to German transmission operators in the first quarter of this year, following earlier contract wins in France, Germany, Norway and Spain.
reporter
Candice Kim
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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